Learn To Save Your Money

When I was about to clean my car over the weekend I noticed that something was leaking. I touched the fluids and could tell that it was antifreeze. Upon opening the hood I saw that one of the panels below the radiator was filled with antifreeze. I inspected the leak and it wasn’t too bad yet, but it was something which sure enough needed to get fixed right away.

I hardly ever take my vehicles to the dealer to get fixed. I prefer going to a reputable mechanic which my family has used for over 10 years. We found out about this mechanic from a family friend who referred us. This mechanic has a small local family owned shop and we have never had any issues with them fixing our vehicles. The best part is their price! Normally we save about 50% than what the dealer would have charged. The only bad part is you usually have to leave your vehicle at their for a day. Thus this may not be a good alternative way to save money for everyone. Though if you are taking your vehicle to get substantial repairs the savings may be worth it even when factoring the cost of renting a vehicle for a day.

During this trip to the mechanics I knew I had to get my spark plugs replaced, front discs/pads replaced, transmission fluid changed, and obviously the radiator and its hoses had to be replaced. Mentally I was prepared to spend a good amount on these repairs. Before taking the vehicle to my mechanics I called several local dealers to get an estimate for the repairs. On average the dealer estimate was around $1400 as compared to my mechanic’s bill of $720. I roughly saved 50% on the repairs.

Another tip is to stop at your local dealer’s service shop and ask them for a list of what is done during the normal service repair intervals. You can then use this list to judge what your mechanic should check when you take your vehicle to them. Obviously you should go to a reputable mechanic. It’s best to ask friends, family, and even neighbors to see where they take their vehicles.

One thing I do go to the dealer for is an oil change. Usually a local dealer will have some promotion on an oil change. Whenever I need an oil change I look at the web sites of the local dealers for promotions going on or just make a casual call to see if there is a promotion going on. My theory for going to the dealer for an oil change is usually I can get this done for about $25 which include synthetic oil and when at the dealer I wait no more than 30 minutes for this to be completed. This obviously beats having to leave my car at the mechanics for a while. Plus the dealers price is usually cheaper than me having to get the items myself and is easier than having to change the oil on my own.

For tires and batteries I usually go to Sam’s Club as they have cheaper tire and battery prices, have cheaper installation fees, and have a great warranty. I once saw a customer bring their tire in for a warranty replacement as it was gashed by his wife when she hit a curb. Also if you get your tires from Sam’s Club they offer free tire rotations. For tire alignments one should look into a lifetime alignment plan from Firestone or such. I remember when they offered a deal where one gets unlimited lifetime tire alignments for $99.99.